The shipping industry is vital to commerce in the United States and in most nations around the world. The trucking industry is one of the most important branches of the shipping industry in many countries including the United States. It is estimated that at least thirty to forty percent of all goods transported in the United States are hauled by trucks pulling flat bed trailers.
The types of materials and commodities hauled on flat bed trailers vary dramatically. Many such materials can be hauled without regard to whether such goods are exposed to inclement weather. However, it is often preferable that materials that are shipped on flat bed trailers and other modes of open transportation be protected from adverse weather conditions by a covering of some type. There are various types of coverings used in the shipping industry. One of the most common is a tarpaulin which is usually made of durable but flexible material such as vinyl or canvas. Tarpaulins can conform to many shaped and sized payloads being shipped.
However, spreading a tarpaulin over a payload on a flat bed trailer presents several problems. Manual application of a tarpaulin often begins with lifting a folded tarpaulin to the top of the payload. Workers then climb to the top of the payload, unfold the tarpaulin and spread it over the payload. Because tarpaulins are usually heavy, some workers cannot lift or maneuver tarpaulins without assistance. It is further difficult for workers to obtain complete coverage over uneven payloads by manually applying a tarpaulin, especially if they attempt to do so without assistance. The process is therefore time-consuming and inefficient. In some instances, workers injure themselves by lifting and moving the tarpaulin, which often weigh up to 200 pounds.
In addition, working on top of a payload often exposes workers to dangerous heights. It is well known that workers have been injured as a result of falling while climbing up or down the payload or while trying to maneuver the tarpaulin on top of the payload. It is estimated that injuries to workers while covering payloads is a significant source of worker""s compensation claims and other losses in the shipping industry. There is, as a result, a need for a safe, efficient means to cover payloads that are to be shipped.
There are presently several devices employed by those in the trucking industry for covering payloads. These include: Forsberg, U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,840; Chenowth, U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,062; Fenton, U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,603; Hardy, U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,551; Haddad, U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,182; Pickering, U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,186; and McIntyre, U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,712. However, each one of these references suffers from disadvantages, including that each requires sides or some other upright supports mounted on the trailer bed for applying and supporting a covering.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an apparatus that permits the application of a covering over a payload that can be operated by a single individual from ground level without requiring that the device be mounted on or attached to the vehicle or payload being covered. It is further an object of the present invention that it be easy to erect, mobile, and adaptable to various shapes and sizes of payloads.
These and other objects and advantages are obtained in an apparatus for covering payloads being shipped by various modes of transportation, including flat bed trailers. The apparatus comprises a movable hoist, having a retractable line, that is slidably engaged to a suspended track such that said hoist can move longitudinally over a payload positioned underneath. The apparatus further comprises a spreader bar that is attached to the retractable line of said hoist. The spreader bar has means for attaching to the leading edge of a tarpaulin or other cover that will be spread over the payload as will be described in more detail below. The apparatus is further comprised of a rod affixed in transverse fashion beneath and near one end of the track. It will be appreciated that the rod provides support to the trailing portion of the tarpaulin as the leading edge of the tarpaulin is pulled by the hoist over the payload. The hoist is powered by remote means, that can be controlled from ground level at most any position adjacent to the payload.